July 16, 2008: "Beijing takes dog off the menu for Olympics"

Beijing takes dog off the menu for Olympics

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing has asked hotels and restaurants in the city to take dog meat off the menu for the duration of next month's Olympics and September's Paralympics.

Now I have never ordered dog meat and never plan to. But I still think this is a smart decision from the Chinese. South Korea took a similar move in 1988 Olympics. During the Olympics the clash of cultures can often bring up controversy and even violence. Avoiding problems is the best way to solve them.
Hopefully this years Olympics will be a true Olympics with healthy competition and culture fights. I feel that China, and anyone who host the Olympics should try to make the city as generic as it possibly can, as to not offend anyone. Of course there are limits to this. If China said they were not going to be serving any meat, then I would strongly disagree. This is a cautious and smart decision.

When your vegetarian friend comes over, you do not serve him meat, but that doesn't mean you cannot snack sausage, as long as you are discreet.

Thank you Liu Zhen and Yahoo News.